Simple QrCode is an easy to use wrapper for the popular Laravel framework based on the great work provided by Bacon/BaconQrCode. We created an interface that is familiar and easy to install for Laravel users.
First, add the Simple QrCode package to your require in your composer.json file:
"require": {
"simplesoftwareio/simple-qrcode": "1.1.*"
}
Next, run the composer update command.
After that, register the SimpleSoftwareIO\QrCode\QrCodeServiceProvider in your app/conifg/app.php configuration file within the providers array.
Finally, register the 'QrCode' => 'SimpleSoftwareIO\QrCode\Facades\QrCode' in your app/config/app.php configuration file within the aliases array.
One of the main items that we use this package for is to have QrCodes in all of our print views. This allows our customers to return to the original page after it is printed by simply scanning the code. We achieved this by adding the following into our footer.blade.php file.
<div class="visible-print text-center">
{{ QrCode::size(100)->generate(Request::url()); }}
<p>Scan me to return to the original page.</p>
</div>
Using the QrCode Generator is very easy. The most basic syntax is:
QrCode::generate('Make me into a QrCode!');
This will make a QrCode that says "Make me into a QrCode!"
Generate is used to make the QrCode.
QrCode::generate('Make me into a QrCode!');
Heads up! This method must be called last if using within a chain.
Generate by default will return a SVG image string. You can print this directly into a modern browser within Laravel's Blade system with the following:
{{ QrCode::generate('Make me into a QrCode!'); }}
The generate method has a second parameter that will accept a filename and path to save the QrCode.
QrCode::generate('Make me into a QrCode!', '../public/qrcodes/qrcode.svg');
QrCode Generator is setup to return a SVG image by default.
Watch out! The
formatmethod must be called before any other formatting options such assize,color,backgroundColor, andmargin.
Three formats are currently supported; PNG, EPS, and SVG. To change the format use the following code:
QrCode::format('png'); //Will return a PNG image
QrCode::format('eps'); //Will return a EPS image
QrCode::format('svg'); //Will return a SVG image
QrCode Generator will by default return the smallest size possible in pixels to create the QrCode.
You can change the size of a QrCode by using the size method. Simply specify the size desired in pixels using the following syntax:
QrCode::size(100);
Be careful when changing the color of a QrCode. Some readers have a very difficult time reading QrCodes in color.
All colors must be expressed in RGB (Red Green Blue). You can change the color of a QrCode by using the following:
QrCode::color(255,0,255);
Background color changes are also supported and be expressed in the same manner.
QrCode::backgroundColor(255,255,0);
The ability to change the margin around a QrCode is also supported. Simply specify the desired margin using the following syntax:
QrCode::margin(100);
Changing the level of error correction is easy. Just use the following syntax:
QrCode::errorCorrection('H');
The following are supported options for the errorCorrection method.
| Error Correction | Assurance Provided |
|---|---|
| L | 7% of codewords can be restored. |
| M | 15% of codewords can be restored. |
| Q | 25% of codewords can be restored. |
| H | 30% of codewords can be restored. |
The more error correction used; the bigger the QrCode becomes and the less data it can store. Read more about error correction.
Change the character encoding that is used to build a QrCode. By default ISO-8859-1 is selected as the encoder. Read more about character encoding You can change this to any of the following:
QrCode::encoding('UTF-8')->generate('Make me a QrCode with special symbols ♠♥!!');
| Character Encoder |
|---|
| ISO-8859-1 |
| ISO-8859-2 |
| ISO-8859-3 |
| ISO-8859-4 |
| ISO-8859-5 |
| ISO-8859-6 |
| ISO-8859-7 |
| ISO-8859-8 |
| ISO-8859-9 |
| ISO-8859-10 |
| ISO-8859-11 |
| ISO-8859-12 |
| ISO-8859-13 |
| ISO-8859-14 |
| ISO-8859-15 |
| ISO-8859-16 |
| SHIFT-JIS |
| WINDOWS-1250 |
| WINDOWS-1251 |
| WINDOWS-1252 |
| WINDOWS-1256 |
| UTF-16BE |
| UTF-8 |
| ASCII |
| GBK |
| EUC-KR |
An error of
Could not encode content to ISO-8859-1means that the wrong character encoding type is being used. We recommendUTF-8if you are unsure.
All methods support chaining. The generate method must be called last and any format change must be called first. For example you could run any of the following:
QrCode::size(250)->color(150,90,10)->backgroundColor(10,14,244)->generate('Make me a QrCode!');
QrCode::format('png')->size(399)->color(40,40,40)->generate('Make me a QrCode!');
You can display a PNG image without saving the file by providing a raw string and encoding with base64_encode.
<img src="data:image/png;base64, {{ base64_encode(QrCode::format('png')->size(100)->generate('Make me into an QrCode!')); }} ">
You can use a prefix found in the table below inside the generate section to create a QrCode to store more advanced information:
QrCode::generate('http://www.simplesoftware.io');
| Usage | Prefix | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Website URL | http:// | http://www.simplesoftware.io |
| Secured URL | https:// | https://www.simplesoftware.io |
| E-mail Address | mailto: | mailto:support@simplesoftware.io |
| Phone Number | tel: | tel:555-555-5555 |
| Text (SMS) | sms: | sms:555-555-5555 |
| Text (SMS) With Pretyped Message | smsto: | smsto::I am a pretyped message |
| Text (SMS) With Pretyped Message and Number | smsto: | smsto:555-555-5555:I am a pretyped message |
| Geo Address | geo: | geo:-78.400364,-85.916993 |
| MeCard | mecard: | MECARD:Simple, Software;Some Address, Somewhere, 20430;TEL:555-555-5555;EMAIL:support@simplesoftware.io; |
| VCard | BEGIN:VCARD | BEGIN:VCARD \r\n VERSION:3.0 \r\n N:Lastname;Surname \r\n FN:Displayname \r\n ORG:OrgName \r\n URL:http://www.url.com/ \r\n EMAIL:test@url.com \r\n TEL;TYPE=voice,work,pref:+555-555-5555 \r\n ADR;TYPE=intl,work,postal,parcel:;;Street;City;;Zip;Country \r\n END:VCARD |
| Wifi | wifi: | wifi:WEP/WPA;SSID;PSK;Hidden(True/False) |